---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man who writes for a living does not…"
description: "\"A man who writes for a living does not have to go anywhere in particular, and he could rarely afford to if he wanted.\" — C. S. Forester"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/c-s-forester-29436_doe_a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-h_657809.png"
---

#  A man who writes for a living does not have to go anywhere…

![“A man who writes for a living does not have to go anywhere in particular, and he could rarely afford to if he wanted.” quote by C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/c-s-forester-29436_doe_a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-h_657809.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/c-s-forester-29436_doe_a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-h_657809.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/c-s-forester-29436_doe_a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-h_657809.png)

> “A man who writes for a living does not have to go anywhere in particular, and he could rarely afford to if he wanted.”

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He notes that writers can work from home, but financial constraints often limit freedom.

**In simple terms:** Writers can work anywhere, but money limits them.

Key Takeaway

Seek financial stability for creative freedom.

Themes

work economics creativity

Mood

reflective realistic

Type

literary economic

When to use this quote

- authorial life
- budgeting
- career choices

Key Concepts

freelance remote work financial planning

Questions to Reflect On

- How does income affect creative output?
- What alternatives exist for writers?

A Different Perspective

Not all writers have this flexibility.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [It is because every individual knows little and, in particular, because we rarely know which of us knows best best that we trust the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-because-every-individual-knows-little-and-in-particular-because/)

[Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/)

> [The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and about all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-man-who-writes-about-himself-and-his-own-time-is-the-only-man-who-2/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The man who writes for hire has an obligation, if only to himself, to keep an open mind and to absorb new ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mancini/the-man-who-writes-for-hire-has-an-obligation-if-only-to-himself-to/)

[Henry Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mancini/)

> [“A child has no need to write, he is innocent. A man writes to throw off the poison which he has accumulated because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/a-child-has-no-need-to-write-he-is-innocent-a-man-writes-to-throw-off/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [“When a man writes on a wall, his instinct leads him to write above the level of his own eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/when-a-man-writes-on-a-wall-his-instinct-leads-him-to-write-above-the/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [A critic is a man who writes about things he doesn't like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-critic-is-a-man-who-writes-about-things-he-doesn-t-like/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The more a man writes, the more he can write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-more-a-man-writes-the-more-he-can-write/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [“The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and all time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-man-who-writes-about-himself-and-his-own-time-is-the-only-man-who/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [To exact of every man who writes that he should say something new, would be to reduce authors to a small number; to oblige…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/to-exact-of-every-man-who-writes-that-he-should-say-something-new/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [“Never trust a man who writes more than he reads.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/never-trust-a-man-who-writes-more-than-he-reads/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Nothing a man writes can please him as profoundly as something he does with his back, shoulders and hands. For writing is an artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooks-atkinson/nothing-a-man-writes-can-please-him-as-profoundly-as-something-he/)

[Brooks Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooks-atkinson/)

> [Everything a man writes about himself is instructive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-glassco/everything-a-man-writes-about-himself-is-instructive/)

John Glassco

> [It is not difficult to conceive, however, that for many reasons a man writes much better than he lives. For without entering into refined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-not-difficult-to-conceive-however-that-for-many-reasons-a-man/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [ “He \[Augustine\] admitted: 'I am the sort of man who writes because he has made progress, and who makes progress by writing.' ” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/he-augustine-admitted-i-am-the-sort-of-man-who-writes-because-he-has/)

[Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/)

> [“A man who writes a book, thinks himself wiser or wittier than the rest of mankind; he supposes that he can instruct or amuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-man-who-writes-a-book-thinks-himself-wiser-or-wittier-than-the-rest/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

## More by C. S. Forester

> [Everything was in stark and dreadful contrast with the trivial crises and counterfeit emotions of Hollywood, and I returned to England deeply moved and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/everything-was-in-stark-and-dreadful-contrast-with-the-trivial-crises/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [The fools ran after me and I ran after the whores, foolish though I realized such a proceeding to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/the-fools-ran-after-me-and-i-ran-after-the-whores-foolish-though-i/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [A whim, a passing mood, readily induces the novelist to move hearth and home elsewhere. He can always plead work as an excuse to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/a-whim-a-passing-mood-readily-induces-the-novelist-to-move-hearth-and/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [Novel writing is far and away the most exhausting work I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/novel-writing-is-far-and-away-the-most-exhausting-work-i-know/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [The lucky man is he who knows how much to leave to chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/the-lucky-man-is-he-who-knows-how-much-to-leave-to-chance/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [I formed a resolution to never write a word I did not want to write; to think only of my own tastes and ideals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/i-formed-a-resolution-to-never-write-a-word-i-did-not-want-to-write/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [They managed to find time... to tell me that there was no chance of my being accepted for service and that really I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/they-managed-to-find-time-to-tell-me-that-there-was-no-chance-of-my/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [With two people and luggage on board she draws four inches of water. Two canoe paddles will move her along at a speed reasonable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/with-two-people-and-luggage-on-board-she-draws-four-inches-of-water/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [When I die there may be a paragraph or two in the newspapers. My name will linger in the British Museum Reading Room catalogue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/when-i-die-there-may-be-a-paragraph-or-two-in-the-newspapers-my-name/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [There is still need to think and plan, but on a different scale, and along different lines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/there-is-still-need-to-think-and-plan-but-on-a-different-scale-and/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [The doctor who applied a stethoscope to my heart was not satisfied. I was told to get my papers with the clerk in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/the-doctor-who-applied-a-stethoscope-to-my-heart-was-not-satisfied-i/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [There is no other way of writing a novel than to begin at the beginning at to continue to the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/there-is-no-other-way-of-writing-a-novel-than-to-begin-at-the/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [Novel writing wrecks homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/novel-writing-wrecks-homes/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [Perhaps that suspicion of fraud enhances the flavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/perhaps-that-suspicion-of-fraud-enhances-the-flavor/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

> [I'd rather be in trouble for having done something than for not having done anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/i-d-rather-be-in-trouble-for-having-done-something-than-for-not/)

[C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

[Explore all 18 C. S. Forester quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/)

## More Doe quotes

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/)

[William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/)

[Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/)

Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A man who writes for a living does not have to go anywhere in particular, and he could rarely afford to if he wanted.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "C. S. Forester"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-have-to-go-anywhere-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-have-to-go-anywhere-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/c-s-forester-29436_doe_a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-h_657809.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/c-s-forester-29436_doe_a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-h_657809.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acc/c-s-forester-29436_doe_a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-h_657809.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A man who writes for a living does not have to go anywhere in particular, and he could rarely afford to if…” — C. S. Forester",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "C. S. Forester",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A man who writes for a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-have-to-go-anywhere-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/a-man-who-writes-for-a-living-does-not-have-to-go-anywhere-in/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
